In Gary Schmidt's novel The Wednesday Wars, Mrs. Bigio is the cook at Camillo Junior High School and is known for her excellent pastries. Since the story is set in the 1967–68 school year, the Vietnam War is an important backdrop and Mrs. Bigio's husband is fighting overseas. One afternoon in November, Holling Hoodhood is discussing The Tempest with Mrs. Baker when Mrs. Bigio enters the room visibly shaken. When Mrs. Baker sees Mrs. Bigio trembling at the door, she recognizes that Mrs. Bigio has received bad news and asks if they found "him." Mrs. Baker is aware that Mrs. Bigio's husband has been missing in battle and reluctantly asks if he is dead.

Mrs. Bigio is too overwhelmed with emotion to answer Mrs. Baker's question and simply nods before bursting into tears. Mrs. Baker attempts to console Mrs. Bigio by helping her to a chair and requests that Holling leave the room. The next day, Holling learns that Mrs. Bigio's husband died on a small, unnamed hill in Vietnam. Apparently, he died on a reconnaissance mission and the hill he was stationed at was considered an insignificant military target. The death of Mrs. Bigio's husband is depicted as senseless and unnecessary, which reflects the mood that many Americans had toward the conflict during the era. Following the death of her husband, Mrs. Bigio becomes bitter and takes her anger out on Holling's Vietnamese classmate Mai Thi. As the novel progresses, Mrs. Bigio begins to heal and eventually befriends Mai Thi.